Tascosa Rebels produce no-hitter, triple play in same game

Tascosa right-hander Tanner Cordova threw a five-inning no-hitter in a 10-0 win against Perryton on Thursday in the AISD-Randy Keller Memorial Classic at Tascosa. The Rebels also turned a triple play in the same game.

Tascosa's Tucker Davidson throws to first base after making a force out on Perryton's Blake Turner during the first inning on Thursday in the AISD-Randy Keller Memorial Classic at Tascosa. Tascosa won, 10-0.

Amarillo-metro teams at the AISD-Randy Keller Memorial Classic opened the tournament with a historical rarity and mixed results Thursday.

That rarity came in Tascosa’s 10-0 win against Perryton, where sophomore right-hander Tanner Cordova threw a five-inning no-hitter. That wasn’t as unexpected as the Rebels turning a triple play to help preserve Cordova’s no-hitter.

How rare is that? According to the Society for American Baseball Research, the only recorded instance in a professional game in which a team turned a triple play and threw a no-hitter was June 19, 2011, when the Northwest Arkansas Naturals accomplished the feat in a Texas League game.

Tascosa couldn’t have asked for any better of an opening for the tournament, as Cordova threw an abbreviated no-hitter and faced the minimum 15 batters.

Cordova got a no-hitter with the aid of a triple play behind him in the top of the fourth inning when Perryton still had a chance. Perryton’s Kevin Becerril lined to Tascosa first baseman Tucker Davidson, who stepped on the bag to double off Blake Turner, then threw to second to double off Tony Loustaunau.

Turner and Loustaunau had reached on walks.

“It’s something I try not to think about while I’m out there pitching because I want to let the defense make the plays,” Cordova said. “I was just hitting my spots with a curveball, and that’s going to give me a chance to win. It’s a great feeling, and it’s something I’m going to remember the rest of my high school career.”

The Rebels got all the runs they needed in the first when Raymond Salazar drove in a run with a single and Brian Hastings did the same with a groundout. However, it was only 3-0 heading into the bottom of the fifth.

There, Tascosa erupted for seven runs on six singles — none of Tascosa’s 11 hits went for extra bases. Salazar, whose base hit started the scoring, ended it with a single up the middle to invoke the 10-run rule and preserve Cordova’s no-hitter.

“Anytime the wind’s blowing in it’s favorable to pitchers, and when you throw in the cold it’s even more favorable,” Tascosa coach Jason Patrick said. “It’s something which we needed to jump-start our team.

“Tanner threw just as good in a seven-inning loss to Odessa High last weekend in Midland (at the Tournament of Champions) so he’s had two really good back-to-back games like this.”

Caprock hosted two games and managed a split, losing to Shallowater, 6-3, before recovering in the second game to beat River Road, 12-2, in a five-inning run rule decision.

The Longhorns (9-4) hurt themselves with six errors against Shallowater. They seemed to take out that frustration on River Road, scoring five runs in the first inning and never looking back.

“Good, ugly, bad,” was how Caprock coach Nathan Gavina summed up the day. “We did not come to play in the first game. Just about everything we could have go wrong for us that game did.”

The Longhorns used their speed in the first inning against River Road (4-6), as four of their first five batters reached base without hitting the ball out of the infield.

“We really played a lot of small ball well in that second game,” Gavina said.

Every batter who appeared for Caprock had at least one hit. David Paz, Jimmy Buckner and Vincent Diaz each had three hits.

For River Road, it was the second game that was the curse. The Wildcats opened the day by rallying past Palo Duro, 10-5, in eight innings.

“We struggled all day,” River Road coach John Bryan said. “We’re young, and that’s why we’re in the tournament. We got away with one against Palo Duro to be honest with you.”